With 11 players currently out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup with injuries, Sidney Crosby can safely say this is shaping up to be one of the most unique seasons in his NHL career.

“I think (11) is the most,” said the team’s captain after a light afternoon skate Friday at the Consol Energy Center. “In 2008, I want to say we had seven or eight guys. I remember (Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury) was out and Ty Conklin played a chunk of games. Since then, I don’t remember seeing it like this.

“Even the guys are getting called up now, a few times they’ve got hurt. It’s amazing. But we’re finding ways to win and guys are sticking together. Guys are coming in and doing a good job.”

To the tune of six straight wins, actually, for the Penguins longest winning streak of the season. They’ve also won nine in a row at the Consol Energy Center.

They have lost 190 man-games because of injuries (which, heading into Friday’s action, was leading the NHL) and are without their top four defencemen — Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Rob Scuderi, and Kris Letang. Right-winger James Neal just finished his five-game suspension but defenceman Deryk Engelland still has two games left of his five-game punishment. NHL’s scoring king Evgeni Malkin, now, is out with a leg injury and has missed three games.

It seems to go on and on but Crosby said the group they have, which consists of a pile of reinforcements from their American Hockey League team in Wilkes-Barre, is getting it done.

“You feel sorry for yourself or you can look for excuses and find them,” he said. “I think the guys who’ve come in have come in and have done a good job. Their energy and the desperation they’re playing with is the reason we’re able to compete every night … we’re going to try to maintain it for as long as we can.”

Another tough matchup for Flames

This is Calgary’s first and only trip to Pittsburgh this year and one of two meetings with one of the best, most complete players in the world.

Sidney Crosby is riding a home point-streak of 13 games and on Wednesday against Minnesota, he became the first player to eclipse the 50-point mark in the league (19 goals, 32 assists).

And, of course, No. 87 is going to be a challenge for Mark Giordano and the Flames’ defence, which is fresh off trying to shutdown Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings.

“(Crosby and Datsyuk) are probably one, two, in the league as far as the best players if you really look at it,” the Flames captain said. “With players like that, you have to play smart and contain when you can and take time and space away when you can. Those are the toughest decisions because of who they are. You give them a little bit of room and they usually make plays.”

Not only is stopping Crosby going to be the Flames’ challenge, they’ll have to find motivation to wrap up the five-game road trip on a high note.

“Any road trip, the last game is always the toughest one because you know you’re going home afterwards,” Giordano said. “For us as a team, mentally, we have to know if we win (Saturday) we’ll consider it a decent road trip.”

Hartley said getting pumped to take on the Penguins should be easy.

“If you’re not ready to play Sidney Crosby, well you’re in the wrong business,” he said.

Burke joins CWHL board

Brian Burke added another title to his business card and, no, it is not general manager of the Calgary Flames. The team’s president of hockey operations joined the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s board of directors.

“Creating a league in which women can one day make a living playing the game they love is a dream I share with the CWHL, and one the Calgary Flames totally support,” Burke said in a news release. “Women’s professional hockey is an incredibly high-skilled, high-paced game, and I believe it plays a vital role in helping to inspire and attract young female athletes to this wonderful sport.”

Established in 2007, the CWHL is made up of five teams — the Boston Blades, Brampton Thunder, Calgary Inferno, Montreal Stars, and the Toronto Furies. All teams play a 60-game season and qualify to play for the Clarkson Cup.

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